Component data visualization method

ABSTRACT

A method of creating a graphical representation of a plurality of components that are grouped in a plurality of component groups, wherein the component groups are formed based on two or more different group types, and values of one or more selectable metrics are associated with the components, the method including the steps of: detecting a selection of the one or more metrics; retrieving metric values for the selected metric associated with components belonging to component groups of a first group type; determining the relative proportion of the retrieved metric values across components that are members of a second type component group; and graphically representing the first type component group using one or more first icons that are graphically represented based on the retrieved metric values, and positioned within a section of the graphical representation based on the determined relative proportion.

This application is a National Stage Application of PCT/NZ2009/000280,filed 8 Dec. 2009, which claims benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 61/138,486,filed 17 Dec. 2008 and which applications are incorporated herein byreference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made toeach of the above disclosed applications.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a component data visualization method,and in particular to a method of creating a graphical representation ofa plurality of components that are grouped in a plurality of componentgroups.

BACKGROUND

A chart or graph is described in Wikipedia as a type of informationgraphic or graphic organizer that represents tabular numeric data and/orfunctions. Charts are often used to make it easier to understand largequantities of data and the relationship between different parts of thedata. Charts can usually be read more quickly than the raw data thatthey come from. They are used in a wide variety of fields, and can becreated by hand (often on graph paper) or by computer using a chartingapplication.

Traditional charts use well established and often poorly implementedways of representing data. Many tools exist to help the user constructvery sophisticated representations of data but that sophisticationtypically results in less meaningful charts. Embodiments of the presentinvention aim to overcome this problem.

It is known to use charting wizards such as those that are, available inExcel and various other systems such as those provided by, for example,IBM. In addition there are multiple Business Intelligence (BI) toolsavailable to users to enable users to analyze data in an attempt tocreate meaningful feedback. However, as the amount of data increases, sodoes the complexity of the visual representations created by theanalysis of the data. These complex representations can end up swampingparts of the visual representation that is most required and relevant toan end user.

One known method of visualizing the components that make up an itembeing analyzed is to provide a hierarchical table showing how thecomponents contribute to the whole of the item. Also, a bill ofmaterials may be provided to indicate how many of one component areincluded within the item being analyzed. These lists of informationbreaking down the constituent components only provide minimalinformation to a user. These types of list do not provide a detailedrepresentation of how measurements associated with the componentscorrelate when grouping the components according to different groupingmechanisms. In particular, the importance of the components within onegroup of components with regard to other groups of components is notappreciated.

The present invention aims to overcome, or at least alleviate, some orall of the mentioned problems, or to at least provide the public with auseful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method that enablesvisualization of components. The visualization provides easilyinterpretable information to a user on the relative values of selectedmetrics according to various component categories.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method ofcreating a graphical representation of a plurality of components thatare grouped in a plurality of component groups, wherein the componentgroups are formed based on two or more different group types, and valuesof one or more selectable metrics are associated with the components,the method including the steps of: detecting a selection of the one ormore metrics; retrieving metric values for the selected metricassociated with components belonging to component groups of a firstgroup type; determining the relative proportion of the retrieved metricvalues across components that are members of a second type componentgroup; and graphically representing the first type component group usingone or more first icons that are graphically represented based on theretrieved metric values, and positioned within a section of thegraphical representation based on the determined relative proportion.

According to a further aspect, the present invention provides acomponent data visualization system for creating a graphicalrepresentation of a plurality of components that are grouped in aplurality of component groups, wherein the component groups are formedbased on two or more different group types, and values of one or moreselectable metrics are associated with the components, the systemincluding a selection detection module arranged to detect a selection ofthe one or more metrics; a data retrieval module arranged to retrievemetric values for the selected metric associated with componentsbelonging to component groups of a first group type from a data storagemodule in communication with the component data visualization system; aplacement module arranged to determine the relative proportion of theretrieved metric values across components that are members of a secondtype component group; and further arranged to instruct an icon module tographically represent the first type component group using one or morefirst icons that are graphically represented based on the retrievedmetric values, and position the first icon within a section of thegraphical representation based on the determined relative proportion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A shows a system block diagram of a graphical system according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B shows a further system block diagram of a graphical systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1C shows a flow diagram of the basic methodology according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A shows a graphical representation of component analysis, as usedon menu item components according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2B shows a further graphical representation of component analysisaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows yet a further graphical representation of componentanalysis according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show detailed views of the menu items in the graphicalrepresentations of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3;

FIG. 4C shows a detailed view of a further information menu shown in thegraphical representations of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3;

FIG. 4D shows a detailed view of a legend shown in the graphicalrepresentations of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3;

FIGS. 5 to 10 show detailed views of various elements of the graphicalrepresentations of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3;

FIG. 11 shows a positioning calculation method according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 12 and 13 show a graphical representation of component analysis asused on hotel related market basket components according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows a gaming environment system for use according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following described invention is suitable for use in conjunctionwith other methods, and the incorporation into one or more systems,described in an earlier filed U.S. provisional patent application by theapplicant. Namely, U.S. provisional patent application 61/074,347 filedon 20 Jun. 2008, and entitled METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR DATAVISUALISATION AND RELATED APPLICATIONS, which is hereby annexed as areference.

Embodiments of the present invention are described herein with referenceto a system adapted or arranged to perform a method for representingmetrics associated with a plurality of components.

In summary, the system includes at least a processor, one or more memorydevices or an interface for connection to one or more memory devices,input and output interfaces for connection to external devices in orderto enable the system to receive and operate upon instructions from oneor more users or external systems, a data bus for internal and externalcommunications between the various components, and a suitable powersupply. Further, the system may include one or more communicationdevices (wired or wireless) for communicating with external and internaldevices, and one or more input/output devices, such as a display,pointing device, keyboard or printing device.

The processor is arranged to perform the steps of a program stored asprogram instructions within the memory device. The program instructionsenable the various methods of performing the invention as describedherein to be performed. The program instructions may be developed orimplemented using any suitable software programming language andtoolkit, such as, for example, a C-based language. Further, the programinstructions may be stored in any suitable manner such that they can betransferred to the memory device or read by the processor, such as, forexample, being stored on a computer readable medium. The computerreadable medium may be any suitable medium, such as, for example, solidstate memory, magnetic tape, a compact disc (CD-ROM or CD-R/W), memorycard, flash memory, optical disc, magnetic disc or any other suitablecomputer readable medium.

The system is arranged to be in communication with external data storagesystems or devices in order to retrieve the relevant data.

It will be understood that the system herein described includes one ormore elements that are arranged to perform the various functions andmethods as described herein. The following portion of the description isaimed at providing the reader with an example of a conceptual view ofhow various modules and/or engines that make up the elements of thesystem may be interconnected to enable the functions to be implemented.Further, the following portion of the description explains in systemrelated detail how the steps of the herein described method may beperformed. The conceptual diagrams are provided to indicate to thereader how the various data elements are processed at different stagesby the various different modules and/or engines.

It will be understood that the arrangement and construction of themodules or engines may be adapted accordingly depending on system anduser requirements so that various functions may be performed bydifferent modules or engines to those described herein, and that certainmodules or engines may be combined into single modules or engines.

It will be understood that the modules and/or engines described may beimplemented and provided with instructions using any suitable form oftechnology. For example, the modules or engines may be implemented orcreated using any suitable software code written in any suitablelanguage, where the code is then compiled to produce an executableprogram that may be run on any suitable computing system. Alternatively,or in conjunction with the executable program, the modules or enginesmay be implemented using any suitable mixture of hardware, firmware andsoftware. For example, portions of the modules may be implemented usingan application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-a-chip(SoC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or any other suitableadaptable or programmable processing device.

The methods described herein may be implemented using a general purposecomputing system specifically programmed to perform the described steps.Alternatively, the methods described herein may be implemented using aspecific computer system such as a data visualization computer, adatabase query computer, a graphical analysis computer, a retailenvironment analysis computer, a gaming data analysis computer, amanufacturing data analysis computer, a business intelligence computeretc., where the computer has been specifically adapted to perform thedescribed steps on specific data captured from an environment associatedwith a particular field.

The herein described visualization of this embodiment is used to analyzethe components that make up menu items in a restaurant or café. That is,it is used to analyze the ingredients that are used to create each ofthe menu items or dishes listed on the menu. This example is provided toshow the underlying concept of how this new visualization is produced,and it will be understood that the invention is not limited to a systemthat only analyzes menu items and its components but can be applied todata of many different formats and retrieved from many differentsystems. For example, the methods described herein may be applied togaming data, retail data, entertainment industry data, financial data,telecommunications data, hospitality industry data, travel industrydata, web analytical data, games, office based documents, products andservices, merchandise, etc. Therefore, the items being analyzed usingthe herein described methodology should consist of a number ofcomponents, which can be grouped according to two or more groupingcategories, and wherein the components and/or groups of components maybe associated with a BPD (Business Performance Driver).

A Business Performance Driver (BPD) is a business metric used toquantify a business objective. For example, turnover, sales. BPDs areFacts (sometimes referred to as measures). Facts are data items that canbe counted. For example, Gross Sales; Units Sold.

BPDs comprise of:

-   -   1. Measures: Data items that can be counted. For example, Gross        Sales; Units Sold.    -   2. Dimensions: Data items that can be categorized. For example,        Gender; Locations.    -   3. Restrictions can be applied to BPDs. These filter the data        included. For example a restriction of ‘State=“CA”’ may be        specified to only include data for California.    -   4. Normalizations can be applied to BPDs. These specify (or        alter) the time period the BPD refers to. For example—Daily        Units Sold, Monthly Profit.    -   The combination of BPDs, Restrictions and Normalizations        provides the flexibility to create many ways of looking at data        without requiring extensive definition effort.

In other words a Business Performance Driver (BPD) is a ‘measure’ thatcan be normalized. Measures are data items that can be counted. Forexample, Gross Sales; Units Sold. BPDs might be displayed onvisualizations. For example, Revenue earned per store on a map.Restrictions and/or Normalizations could be applied to a BPD. Thefollowing table provides examples of these:

Scenario Business Example BPD (no Revenue normalization or restriction)BPD with Revenue earned in the state of California restriction BPD withRevenue earned in week 1 of 2008 normalization BPD with Revenue earnedin the state of California in restriction and week 1 of 2008normalization

It will be appreciated that the example provided below has been reducedin scale to enable full understanding of the concepts involved and thatall data that would be expected for a real world example has beenomitted for clarity purposes. It will also be understood that a greaternumber of linkages and elements may be implemented in a workingembodiment of the invention in order to take into account all componentsof the items being analyzed. It will also be understood that variousvalues and arrangements of the different elements associated with thevisualization are there for explanatory purposes only and that thepositioning, values or arrangement may not necessarily directlycorrespond with all other elements shown in the representation.

It will further be appreciated that the figures provided are in blackand white for clarity purposes, but that the visualizations hereindescribed can provide more information by using various different colorsand/or shading to indicate differences between and values associatedwith the icons.

The visualization has several aims including enabling a user:

-   -   To understand components that form at least part of a whole,        such as a menu for example where the components are the        ingredients, or groups of different types of ingredient or a        mixture of single ingredients and groups of ingredients.    -   To see the total ingredients within the menu or to understand        the relationship with other ingredients.    -   To be able to see the various metrics (such as costs for        example) associated with menu items, and the ingredients of        those items.    -   To look at the metrics associated with the ingredients, and be        able to identify metrics within, above or below certain values        for certain menu items.    -   To be able to examine menu items and/or ingredients within a        menu, and see the metric values associated with each item.    -   To get an overview of the number of different item groups that        use different ingredient groups. To follow a cognitive analysis        process from the overview to the details without changing the        information presented but by putting more visual weight on that        element. For example, to understand how the menu items within        the menu are as a whole e.g. if the menu is more favored towards        using vegetables and not costing a lot. To be able to see        quickly the relative cost (or BPD) of each menu item.

The various modules of the herein described system are described withreference to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C.

FIG. 1A shows a system block diagram of a graphical system according tothis embodiment. A data storage module 151 stores the data used by thesystem. A data retrieval module 153 retrieves the data for the datastorage module under instructions received from various other modules inthe system.

The data provided as an input to the system may be of any suitable typeof data for example, real world data including, but not limited to,gaming or gambling data associated with a gaming environment such as acasino, event data, test or quality control data obtained from amanufacturing, environment, business data retrieved from an accountingsystem, sales data retrieved from a company database, etc. All this datamay be received by the system in real time in a cache memory or may bestored in a more permanent manner. According to this embodiment, thedata provided is associated with menu items provided on a menu in arestaurant or café.

The data storage module may be any suitable, type of data storagesystem. For example, it may be an enterprise data warehouse (EDW), adata mart, a database, a storage array or any other suitable device orgroups of devices that can store data for later retrieval. Further, thedata storage module may be a cache memory used to temporarily storeincoming data captured in real time.

A selection detection module 155 is in communication with the dataretrieval module 153 to instruct the data retrieval module 153 whichdata needs to be retrieved from the data storage module 151.

The data retrieval module 153 is in communication with a number of iconmodules (157, 159, 161, 163) which create various icons in the graphicalrepresentation.

A menu item icon module 157 creates a menu item icon. A component groupicon module 159 creates a component group icon. A component icon module161 creates a component icon. A component indicator icon module 163creates a component indicator icon.

A highlight module 165 is used to highlight the various icons and tablesupon instructions received from the selection detection module. Thehighlight module is in communication with the various icon modules (157,159, 161, 163) and a number of table modules (167, 169, 171, 173).

An order determination module 175 is in communication with the componentgroup icon module 159 and the component icon module 161 and is arrangedto determine a suitable ordering of the elements of the icons.

The outputs of the various icon modules (157, 159, 161, 163), tablemodules (167, 169, 171, 173) are communicated to a rendering module 183,which renders the image using standard rendering techniques. Therendered image is communicated to an output module 185, such as anoutput display on a computer. The selection detection module 155 is incommunication with, the output module to enable the system to detect theselection of one of the icons or tables.

FIG. 1B shows further details of the system. A menu item placementmodule 177 includes an inner section module 179 and a menu item iconpositioning module 181. The menu item icon positioning module 181 is incommunication with the data retrieval module to receive BPD values. Themenu item icon positioning module 181 is also in communication with theinner section module to limit the placement of the menu item icons. Theinner section module 179 is in communication with the menu item iconmodule to provide instructions on where the menu item icons are to bepositioned in the visualization.

FIG. 1C shows a flow diagram of the basic methodology according toembodiments of the present invention. At step S201, the system detects aselected metric, icon or table. At step S203, the system retrieves databased on the selected metric. At step S205, the system determines theposition of the icons within the visualization based on the selectedmetric. At step S207, the system creates the icons. At step S209, thesystem creates various tables. At step S211, the system renders thevisualization. At step S213, the system enables highlighting of modulesand/or tables that have been selected.

As an alternative to, or in conjunction with, the display module,further output modules may be provided to output the results of therendering module. That is, the raw data retrieved by the data retrievalmodule is analyzed and converted to provide output data in a specificformat. The output data is provided to the display and/or further outputmodules to enable a user to visualize the raw data in a manner thatconveys more useful or hidden information that would otherwise be lost.

The further output module may be a printing device in communication withthe described system to receive print control data so thatrepresentations of the data may be printed on any suitable print medium.Alternatively, the further output module may be an interface thatenables the data output from the rendering module to be interfaced withother data handling modules or storage devices. As a furtheralternative, the output module may be the same or different data storagemodule as described above.

This embodiment of the invention will be described with reference tothree modes of operation. The first mode described is an “Overviewmode”.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a graphical representation according to thisembodiment is provided. It will be understood that the variousrepresentations in the figures are provided in black and white forclarity purposes only, and that various color schemes, gray scales ortransparencies may be used, and may be preferred, for representing thevarious elements of the representation.

The overview mode of display is designed to get an overview, and itallows the user to examine and explore the details of the variousrelationships and elements if they so wish.

There are five sections that make up this visualization, and aid theuser in understanding the menu structure and elements. These aredescribed below.

The Central Section 101 is arranged in an area in the shape of a circle,and has been designed to show a number of features. It will beunderstood that, as an alternative, the shape of the central section maybe any other suitable graphical shape, such as geometric shape, organicshape, or dodecagon spiral.

In the central section are shown the following features:

Each menu item is represented by a menu item icon in the form of acolored circular ring 103 surrounding a circle 105. It will beunderstood that although the image in FIG. 2A is shown in black andwhite, each of the rings 103 surrounding each circle 105 may consist ofvarious different colors as will explained in more detail below. Also,the circles 105 may be filled in with a suitable grey scale color or analternative color, or may be left unfilled. This fill color may alsohave transparency.

A menu item table 106 is created by a menu item table module. Thismodule retrieves the menu items from the data store that are associatedwith the selected menu. Also retrieved are the metrics (BPDs) associatedwith each of the menu items. The menu items are arranges in a listwithin the table indicating the BPD values associated with each.

The metric (BPD) associated with each menu item is selectable by a userfrom a menu item table 106. That is, the user may click on the graphicalrepresentation using any suitable input device, such as a mouse, touchscreen etc, and the selection detection module detects the selection ofthe relevant metric (BPD) in the table 106. The selection detectionmodule instructs the data retrieval module to retrieve the dataassociated with the selected BPD. In this example, the user may select aBPD from any one of costs, revenue and profit by selecting theappropriate column in the table 106. Selection of the metric (BPD) mayalso be accomplished by using standard user interface controls, forexample, by using a dropdown menu or a dropdown list box. Cost has beenselected in this particular example, and is indicated within therepresentation in two different ways.

Firstly, the metric is displayed in text format by the menu item iconmodule. For example, a dollar value ($16) 107 is positioned in the topportion of each menu item icon. In this particular example, the text ispositioned at the top of the icon.

Further, the metric value is used by the menu item icon module tocalculate the diameter of each menu item icon. That is, the diameter ofeach menu item icon is based on the metric value associated with eachmenu item each icon is representing.

The color of the circular ring of the menu item icon is based on dataretrieved by the data retrieval module, where that retrieved data isassociated with the menu item. That is, the categories in which each ofthe menu items can be placed is used by the menu item icon module tocreate the menu item icon using the associated colors for the menu itemcategories. For example, in this embodiment, each menu item may beclassed as a particular type of meal, such as a tossed salad, preparedsalad, soup, pasta, muffin or dessert. Therefore six different coloredrings are provided in this example to identify the six different mealcategories.

It will be understood that the color of the menu item icon may be usedto represent other metrics. For example, the color may representdiscrete value categories (e.g. low, medium and high sell items or theage of the menu item: 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 10 days and 20 days forexample), or continuous metrics such as the weight of items.

Therefore, for each menu item or whole menu, a graphical indication isprovided in the form of one or more icons, the icon(s) is representedbased on the selected metric. Additional information is also provided inthe form of further icons to represent additional group informationassociated with the components that form the menu items.

Around the outer edge of the central section 101 are arranged theindividual components (e.g. ingredients) that make up the menu items.The components are grouped together according to a defined category. Inthis example, the ingredients are grouped according to the food group109 in which the ingredient belongs. For example, the ingredient may begrouped in the category dairy products, herbs and spices, fruit,vegetables, basics, nuts and seeds or and miscellaneous. Each ingredientwill fall within a single one of these food groups.

Each food group (component group) is represented by a component groupicon module which is used to create a component group icon 110, which,in this embodiment is a partial arc positioned around the periphery ofthe central section.

As explained in more detail below, each ingredient is represented usinga component icon in the form of a bar that extends radially outwardsfrom the component group icon (partial arc icon 110). Only one bar isused to represent each ingredient. On the internal side of the componentgroup icon 110, each ingredient is identified as being used in one ormore menu items by the use of a component indicator icon. Each componentindicator icon links to a single menu item icon. The number of componentindicator icons for each ingredient represents the number of menu itemsin which the ingredients are used. Each component indicator icon iscolored according to a menu item category (meal type) in which the menuitem belongs. Therefore, for each single ingredient, there may be one ormore component indicator icons (depending on the number of menu itemsthat use the ingredient). If there are multiple component indicatoricons for a single ingredient (because it is used in multiple menuitems), these may be represented using the same or different colorsdepending on the menu item category in which the menu items belong.

The component group icons are user selectable. The selection detectionmodule detects when a user selects the icon using any suitable computerinput device, such as a pointing device. Upon selection the selectiondetection module instructs the highlight module to highlight the icon.As an alternative, selection may be carried out using anotherimplementation such as dropdown menus and list boxes, not shown here.

The detected selection also causes the selection detection module toinstruct the data retrieval module to retrieve the list of components(ingredients) within that group. The component group table moduleupdates the component group table 112 (top right of display) so that theingredients within the selected group are displayed along with the BPDvalues of the BPD category selected by the user and retrieved by thedata retrieval module. The user is thus able to interact with thevisualization to change and visualize a selected ingredient group byselecting any other component group icon for the other ingredientgroups. The selected group is highlighted using the highlight module.For example, the icon for the selected component group may berepresented by a different or enhanced arc color. Further, the highlightmodule may represent the individual ingredient bars by a different orenhanced bar color.

The order in which each component is positioned within each of thegroups (e.g. food groups), and the order in which each of the groups(e.g. food groups) is positioned around the periphery of the graphicalrepresentation is determined by an order determination module. The orderdetermination module uses any suitable heuristic algorithm, such asthose associated with the traveling salesman problem. That is, analgorithm is implemented by the order determination module on the dataassociated with the components so that a reasonable solution isprovided. A reasonable solution means that the maximum correlation (orminimum statistical distance) is obtained between each of the components(e.g. ingredients) or the component groups (e.g. food groups).Alternatively, the menu items may be arranged using metrics anddimensions relating to other aspects of the business, such as revenue orthe number of days items have been on the menu, for example.

For example, the order determination module may use nutritional valuesto determine the statistical distance between two components within thesame component group. It will be understood that other factors may beused to determine statistical distance, such as: component cost (orother monetary value); component type, size, weight (or other physicalmeasurement); component build details (e.g. whereabouts the component islisted in a bill of materials); component value, etc.

By applying the same statistical distance calculations to all thecomponents in the group a best fit order of components is produced sothat components having maximum correlation with other components areplaced closer together than those that have less correlation.

The component icon module represents each component (e.g. ingredient)around the outer edge of the central section by creating an icon 111 inthe form of a bar. It will be understood that, as an alternative, theindividual components (e.g. ingredients) may be represented using anyother suitable form of icon. For example, the icon may be in the form ofany or a combination of text matter, numbers, letters, characters,lines, geometric shapes, organic shapes, images or objects.

The icon for the ingredient (component icon) is graphically representedbased on the total value of the selected metric (e.g. cost) associatedwith the component. That is, the size of the bar 111 in this example isautomatically graphically represented using the component icon modulebased on the total cost value for the ingredient in all of the menuitems. It will be understood that, as an alternative, the total value ofthe metric selected by the user may determine at least one of the shape,shading, color, height, or size of the icon for the ingredient.Depending on which metric is selected by the user, the icon will changeaccordingly based on the metric value.

Calibration values for overall cost of an individual ingredient are alsoprovided in the graphical representation by the component icon moduleusing text 113 and concentric circles 115, where the lines style of thecircles gives a visual indication of the scale.

That is, in this example; four concentric circles are created by thecomponent icon module, the outer most circle 117 has a solid lineindicating that its value is full scale (in the example above this is:$100), the next line 119 is made up of lines and spaces, with 75% lineand 25% space, indicating 75% value ($75). The same visual coding isused for the last two lines (121 and 123) where 25% line=$25 and50%=$50. This coding will be used for any BPD displayed/selected, havingthe full scale dollar value (or whatever unit the BPD is represented in)being equal to the 100% line circle.

A further icon in the form of a component (ingredient) indicator iconmay be provided by a component indicator icon module around thecircumference of the central section to indicate which of a number ofparticular components (ingredients) are used in a menu item, in whichmenu group the menu item belongs and also in which food group theingredient belongs when used in that menu item.

In this example, the ingredients are first grouped according to the typeof meal the menu item using the ingredient is associated with. Forexample, the ingredients used in a menu item such as a chocolate cakewould be placed in the grouping for desserts. Other groupings includetossed salads, prepared salads, soups, pastas, muffins as well asdesserts.

Further, each ingredient falls within a further group type based on thefood group in which the ingredient is categorized. For example, creamused in the chocolate cake menu item would be categorized as a dairyproduct and as such the cream (when used in the chocolate cake) falls inthe categories dairy products and desserts.

It will be understood that other alternative groupings for thecomponents may be used.

In this embodiment, the component indicator icon is a dot and is used,amongst other things, to indicate that the ingredient has been used in aparticular menu item. The color of the dot indicates the ingredient iscategorized within a particular group (other than belonging to that menuitem). For example, the category may be the type of meal to which themenu item belongs i.e. Salad, Soup, Muffin etc. There is a separate iconfor each ingredient in each menu item. These icons are also referred toas ingredient element dots.

Further, the placement or positioning of the component indicator icon isarranged according to a grouping different to that of the menu item mealtype group. That is, the component indicator icon is positioned insidethe arc representing the component group (component group icon) in linewith the component icon (bar 111) that represents that ingredient.

The user is able to dynamically interact with the BPD as explained aboveby selecting another BPD to be displayed, through the selection of therequired BPD column in the menu item table 106 (top left hand box). Thatis, the selection detection module detects the selection of a column(BPD) in the table 106 and instructs the data retrieval module toretrieve the values associated with the selected metric. These metricvalues are then made available to the other modules in the system.

The user is also able to dynamically interact with an inner section asrepresented by an inner circle (Menu Item Circle Size Controller) whichis indicated by the dashed line 125 within the central section 101. Amenu item placement module includes an inner section module that enablesa user to change the radius of the inner section (i.e. the inner circlesize). The inner section defines an inner area of the central section inwhich each of the menu items is to be represented. This is done by theinner section module detecting the user, using any suitable inputdevice,changing the position of the dashed line that represents the outercircumference of the inner section. For example, the radius of size orarea of the inner section may be changed by a user selecting a point onthe circumference of the inner section and sliding the point inwards oroutwards to change the circumference. Alternatively, specific values maybe entered by the user for a suitable circumference, radius or diameterof the inner section. Further, the inner section size may be adjustedautomatically as explained below.

The outer circumference of the inner section represents a maximumcircumference of an area located around the central point of the centralsection. This area is where the central points of the menu item iconscan be positioned without the menu item icon interfering with otherelements of the representation and without the icon extending beyond thecentral section. For example, it may be undesirable to have the menuitem icons being positioned over the ingredient indicator icons so thatthey are obscured from view.

Therefore, the calculated radius of the central section minus theselected, detected or calculated radius of the inner section representsthe maximum radius of the largest menu item circle(s).

In equation form, this is represented by:A<=B−Cwhere A=Radius of largest menu item icon; B=Radius of main circle(central section); C=Radius of inner circle (inner section).

It will be understood that the menu item icon radius is likely to changeupon selecting a new metric (BPD), and so the system automaticallyadjusts the radius of the inner section in order to keep all the menuitem icons within the central section without overlapping other areas ofthe representation. That is, the menu item icon positioning module inconjunction with the inner section module determines the maximum radiusof the menu items (based on the selected BPD) and adjusts the innersection radius accordingly based on the above equation.

For each of the icons (circles 105 and rings 103) representing the menuitem, the menu item icon module graphically represents aninterconnecting line 127 from the menu item circle 103 to the componentindicator icon (ingredient dot) 129. There is one interconnecting linefor each ingredient (component) within the menu item between thecomponent indicator icon and the menu item icon. In the overview modethe lines preferably have a low visual presence and so are displayed inalight gray scale or with a level of transparency.

The positioning of the menu item icons 103 within the central section isbased on a number of factors. These factors include the components (e.g.the ingredients) that make up the menu item and the relative metric(BPD) values (as selected by the user) for each of those components. Theposition of the icons 103 is calculated by the menu item iconpositioning module based on a spring force system (with constrainingouter limits) and will be discussed in more detail below.

It will be understood that transparency of the menu item icons,ingredient lines (going from the menu item icons to the componentindicator icons) and component indicator icons (ingredient elementdots), may be adjusted by the various icon modules described herein toallow overlapping and the ability to see the whole picture.

Details of the various elements described are shown in FIGS. 4A to 4Dand 5 to 10, where FIGS. 4A and 4B show detailed views of the menu items106 and 112, FIG. 4C shows a detailed view of a further information menu130 and FIG. 4D shows a detailed view of a legend 131 indicating themenu item food types. FIGS. 5 to 10 show detailed views of portions ofthe graphical representation of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

A second section of the visualization, a menu item table 106, includesthe following elements and interaction capabilities.

A dropdown list 104 is provided that allows the user to select differentmenus for display. In this example, the menu selected is a lunch menufor Jul. 27, 2008. Upon selection, data associated with the selectedmenu is retrieved or at least identified for later retrieval. The dataassociated with the selected menu may include the menu items in thatmenu, the ingredients within each menu item, BPD values associated witheach of the menu items, BPD values associated with each of theingredients, grouping (category) information for the menu items,grouping (category) information for the ingredients.

Different BPDs associated with the menu being displayed can be selectedas discussed above by selecting the appropriate column in the displayedmenu item table 106. In the accompanying figures only one of the BPDs isvisualized in the central section of the visualization using themethodologies herein described. However, it will be understood that, asan alternative, multiple BPDs may be visualized together in the centralsection.

In the example herein described, the menu item table module displaysCosts, Revenue and Profit in the menu item table 106. The metric “Costs”has been selected by the user and the metric is visualized in thecentral section in relation to each of the menu items in the selectedmenu. The selection of this BPD is indicated by the highlight modulehighlighting the column 133 in the menu item table 106 by generating abox around the BPD values. The selection of the BPD may be highlightedby the icon highlighting module using other suitable methods. Forexample, the highlight may be realized by applying any suitable ordifferent form or color to the column.

The user is able to select a different column (e.g. Revenue or Profit)to visualize different BPDs using any suitable input device, such as apointing device (e.g. a computer mouse).

The user is able to select different Menu Items in the list by clickingthe particular Menu item of choice, e.g. Menu Item 1, Menu Item 2 etc.It will be understood that the different menu items are preferably namedaccording to the item in order to enable the user to more easilyunderstand its relevance. For example, the menu items may be the name ofa particular dish available at a restaurant. Further, the menu items maybe grouped. For example, the menu items may be grouped according tostarters, main course and desserts. The selection of the BPD results inthe system retrieving and displaying the BPD details of the ingredientsthat are used within all of the menu items listed; see “Menu ItemIngredient Mode” below.

When the system detects that the user is using the input device to hovera cursor (or the like) over a particular menu item within the menu list106, additional details associated with that menu item may be retrievedfrom the data store and the menu item table module may display theadditional information in a window overlaying the visualization. Thetype of additional information may be user defined or system defined. Itcould be, for example, nutritional data associated with the menu item.

A third section of the visualization, the “Ingredient Group Details”menu 112 (component group menu), shows the details of the ingredientgroup associated with the ingredient group icon (component group) asselected by the user. For example, the user may select the “fruit”grouping for ingredients by selecting the arc representing the fruitingredients placed around the circumference of the outer section. Thecomponent group table 112 is created by the component group tablemodule, which uses the data retrieved by the data retrieval module tolist all the ingredients that fall within the category of a fruit.

Further, the component group table module uses the retrieved BPD valuesfor each of the components (ingredients) to displays the sum for theselected BPD (for example, Costs) for each of the ingredients within thetable 112. The values displayed here may be changed by user interaction.That is, the user may select another ingredient group (e.g. dairyproducts, herbs & spices), or a different BPD (e.g. revenue or profit),and these selections will change the ingredients (components) listed inthe table 112, and also display the selected BPD values for thecomponents of the selected component grouping.

Interaction with the component group table 112 provides the user withthe ability to select a particular ingredient (component) from the listin the table 112, and see where the costs (or other selected BPD) comefrom. This is explained in more detail below in the “IngredientBreakdown Mode” below.

There is a one to one link between the component icons (bars) 111indicating the individual ingredients and the ingredient items listed inthe table 112. It will be understood that zero values in the table 112are represented by the absence of a bar.

A fourth section of the visualization, the menu group legend 131, iscreated using a menu group table module. This menu group legend displaysfurther details that assist in the understanding of the visualization.In this embodiment, the further details are the menu groups in whicheach of the menu items, and associated ingredients, belong. It includesthe following interactions.

The menu group table module creates an interactive legend, listing thedifferent menu groups in which menu items can belong. Next to eachdefinition in the list is provided a representation of a componentindicator icon using a color assigned to that menu group. Also next toeach listing is provided a representation of a ring of a menu item iconusing a color assigned to that menu group. Each listing in the legend131 is provided with a unique color assignment to enable a user toeasily see in which menu group each of the menu items below, and also tosee in which menu group each ingredient belongs (for specific menuitems).

The selection detection module detects when a user selects a dot 135(representing a component indicator icon) within the menu group legend131, and is arranged to highlight all the dots that are associated withthe same menu item group on the visualization (around the inner edge ofthe outer circle). Each dot represents an ingredient belonging to adifferent menu item group (soups, pasta etc) and is indicated in adifferent color. Therefore, dots representing different ingredientswithin the same menu item group will be represented by the same color.For example, any ingredient used in a soup will be represented using thecolor assigned to the soup grouping. Any ingredient used in a salad willbe represented using the color assigned to the salad grouping. Althoughthe same ingredient may be used more than once, for example in differentmenu items, a separate record of that ingredient is stored for eachseparate use. For example, tomatoes used in a soup may be representedusing a first color (e.g. a blue dot), whereas tomatoes used in a saladmay be represented using a second color (e.g. a red dot). Therefore, fora particular ingredient, there may be one, two or more different coloredcomponent indicator icons placed in the visualization to show that theingredient has been used in one, two or more different menu item groups.Each of the separate component indicator icons will be linked to aseparate menu item icon in a one to one relationship.

As an example, if the user of the system wishes to highlight all theingredient elements for Tossed Salad, then they select the dot forTossed Salad shown in the legend 131. This results in the selectiondetection module determining which dot is selected and which group thatselected dot represents. Subsequently, all component indicator icons inthe representation that fall within that grouping are highlighted by thehighlight module. Although the dots are already colored appropriately toshow the different menu item groups, selection will make this visualimportance much greater and hence ensure that the dots associated withthe selection stand out from the other dots. For example, the highlightmodule brightens the dots that fall within the selected category anddarkens all other dots. Also, the colors of the selected dots may beenhanced while the other dots may be made black and white.

If the user selects a circle 137 within the legend 131, the selectiondetection module detects this and instructs the highlight module tohighlight the associated menu item icons 103 for that particular menuitem group (i.e. menu item type) in a similar manner as described above.

If the user selects the text 139 indicating the menu group within thelegend 131,the selection detection module detects this and instructs thehighlight module to highlight both the component indicator icons and themenu item icons that fall within that menu item group (i.e. menu itemtype).

Referring to FIG. 2B, a second mode of operation is now described.

This mode of visual display is designed to look at an individual menuitem, and the ingredients (components) that make up that menu item. Toaccess this mode the user can either select an individual menu item 201from the top left menu item table 106, or select a menu item icon 203displayed within the central section of the visualization.

When the selection detection module has detected the user has selectedone of the menu items listed in the menu 106 or a menu item icon 203 thefollowing elements are visualized within the graphical representation byidentifying and retrieving the associated data.

That is, the selection detection module instructs the data retrievalmodule to retrieve the data associated with the selected menu item andinstructs the component group table module to list the ingredientswithin the menu item, and instructs the menu item icon module to displaythe associated selected BPD value (e.g. cost) and the ingredientgroup(s) that they belong to.

Also indicated in the graphical representation is the relativeproportion of each of the menu ingredients within the selected menuitem. In this embodiment, this is shown in the manner described below,but it will be understood that the relationship between the selectedmenu item and the associated groups, ingredients and BPDs may bedisplayed using any or a combination of these visualizations.

The total Cost (or other selected BPD) values are indicated by the menuitem icon module in text format 205, e.g. $10.30, within the menu itemicon 203. The component icon module lists the ingredient names 207around the edge of the outer section along with the values for eachingredient 209.

Also, in a fifth section of the visualization, a Menu Item Detail panel130, the ingredients and associated BPD values are listed 213. This menuitem details box is created by a menu item details table module. Thismodule instructs the data retrieval module to obtain the details of theselected or relevant ingredients and displays the retrieved data in themenu item details box.

Interconnecting lines 215 between the menu item circle and each of theingredients making up that menu item are graphically represented by themenu item icon module. The width of the interconnecting lines going fromthe component indicator icon to the menu item icon is varied by the menuitem icon module based on the BPD data retrieved by the data retrievalmodule to indicate the relative proportion of the ingredient items forthe selected BPD.

A menu item placement module includes a menu item icon positioningmodule that calculates a position to place the menu item icon within thecentral section of the representation. The position is based on therelative proportion of the associated ingredient items for the selectedBPD. The positioning provides an overall indication of the relativeproportions of the different ingredients in a visual manner to enablethe user to easily interpret the relative importance of the componentsthat make up the menu item (for the selected BPD).

Effectively, the menu item icon positioning module (in conjunction withthe inner section module if used) calculates the position of the menuitem icon by assuming each ingredient position (around the edge of thecentral section) creates a pulling force on the menu item circle icon.The larger the cost (or other BPD) for each of the ingredients thelarger the pull on the menu item circle. As a formula, the force appliedby each ingredient will be calculated as:Force=cost (or other BPD)*distance to ingredient.

The distance to the ingredient is the distance from the periphery of thecentral section to the menu item icon centre (circle 105). That is, thecentral section periphery will be located at a fixed distance from thecentre of the central section and positioned around the circumference ofthe central section.

The sum of the forces must be zero (or at least constrained to the innersection defined by the dashed circle 125 and have a local minimum). Thealgorithm used in this embodiment by the menu item positioning module isdescribed in more detail below.

The basic equation to solve is that the Sum of All forces=0. That is, astate of equilibrium is reached based on the effective pulling, forcesof each of the ingredients based on their associated selected BPDvalues.

Each ingredient effectively applies a force, where force=cost (or anyBPD in question) multiplied by the distance to the menu item icon centerfrom the component indicator icon (ingredient dot).

The Sum of forces is broken down into the x and y axis components of thevisualization to find the solutions so that Sum of force_(x)=0 and Sumof force_(y)=0.

Relating this to the menu item icon 203 and the force applied by thefour ingredients as shown in FIG. 2B and represented in FIG. 11, the Xvalue 1105 for the centre point 1103 of the menu item icon 1101 iscalculated by the menu item icon positioning module first.

Around the periphery 1107 of the central section are located the fouringredients (A, B, C and D) that make up the menu item associated withthe menu item circle 1101. That is, for the x-axis, ingredient A ispositioned at point Ax 1109, ingredient B is positioned at point Bx1111, ingredient C is positioned at point Cx 1113, ingredient D ispositioned at point Dx 1115.

Value ΔAx represents the difference on the x-axis between the menu itemcircle centre point x position and Ax. The same applies for the relevantpositions Bx, Cx and Dx, for values ΔBx, ΔCx and ΔDx respectively.

The equation is thus the combination of all forces=0. The force appliedby each component (ingredient) is the BPD value associated with thatcomponent (e.g. cost) multiplied by the Δ value for that component (ΔAxetc.).

Alternatively, the menu item icon positioning module may use otherfactors such as applying a power factor of 2 (or more) to the ΔAx value.

Therefore:(ΔA _(x)*Cost A)+(ΔB _(x)*Cost B)+(ΔC _(x)*Cost C)+(ΔD _(x)*Cost D)=0

It is known; that:ΔA _(x)=Menu Item X−Ax,ΔB _(x)=Menu Item X−BxΔC _(x)=Menu Item X−CxΔD _(x)=Menu Item X−Dxwhere Menu Item X=x co-ordinate of the menu item icon.

These values are substituted into the equation to give:[(Menu Item X−Ax)*Cost A]+[(Menu Item X−Bx)*Cost B]+[(Menu ItemX−Cx)*Cost C]+[(Menu Item X−Dx)*Cost D]=0

By multiplying out the Cost values, the following equation is produced:[Menu Item X*Cost A]−[Ax*Cost A]+[Menu Item X*Cost B]−[Bx*Cost B]+[MenuItem X*Cost C]−[Cx*Cost C]+[Menu Item X*Cost D]−[Dx*Cost D]=0

Rearranging this by taking out the common factor Menu ItemX, theequation becomes:Menu Item X*(Cost A+Cost B+Cost C+Cost D)−[Ax*Cost A]−[Bx*CostB]−[Cx*Cost C]−[Dx*Cost D]=0

Rearranging the above produces:Menu Item X*(Cost A+Cost B+Cost C+Cost D)=[Ax*Cost A]+[Bx*CostB]+[Cx*Cost C]+[Dx*Cost D]

Rearranging the above produces:Menu Item X=([Ax*Cost A]+[Bx*Cost B]+[Cx*Cost C]+[Dx*Cost D])/(CostA+Cost B+Cost C+Cost D)

Values for Costs as retrieved by the data retrieval module aresubstituted in by the menu item icon positioning module, where CostA=$2.50, Cost B=$5.00, Cost C=$1.80 and Cost D=$1.00. Further,ingredient x-axis positions are substituted in to produce:Menu Item X=([250*2.5]+[644*5]+[18*1.8]+[684*1])/(2.5+5+1.8+1)

Although actual cost values are used in this calculation it will beunderstood that, as an alternative, percentage values may also be used.

Therefore, the menu item icon positioning module calculates the xposition of the menu item icon to be 442.85.

Solving for the Y-axis position in a similar manner produces:Menu Item Y=([Ay*Cost A]+[By*Cost B]+[Cy*Cost C]+[Dy*Cost D])/(CostA+Cost B+Cost C+Cost D)where Menu Item Y=y co-ordinates of menu item icon.

The menu item icon positioning module retrieves and substitutes valuesfor Costs and ingredient y-axis positions to produce:Menu item Y=([12*2.5]+[160*5]+[456*1.8]+[422*1])/10.30

Therefore, the menu item icon positioning module calculates the yposition of the menu item icon to be 201.24.

In summary, to find the Menu Item X and Y positions the menu item iconpositioning module calculates:Menu ItemY=([Ay*Cost A]+[By*Cost B]+[Cy*Cost C]+[Dy*Cost D])/(CostA+Cost B+Cost C+Cost D), andMenu ItemX=([Ax*Cost A]+[Bx*Cost B]+[Cx*Cost C]+[Dx*Cost D])/(CostA+Cost B+Cost C+Cost D)

Or in a general sense for any number of ingredient items:Menu Item_(x)=sum of all (Distance to Ingredient Item_(x)*BPD ofingredient Item)/sum of all BPDs for ingredientsMenu Item_(y)=sum of all (Distance to Ingredient Item_(y)*BPD ofingredient Item)/sum of all BPDs for ingredients

Optionally, the centre of the menu item icon may be constrained to bewithin the Menu Item Circle Size Controller (inner section as shown bythe dashed circle 125) using a suitable algorithm as explained below.

The example described above will work in most cases. However, the menuitem icon may optionally be constrained by the inner section module tobe within the inner section 125. Effectively this means that if theinitial calculation using the equations above his a solution where themenu item icon center is calculated to be outside the inner section thenthe menu item icon must be constrained to be on the outer circumferenceof the inner section (i.e. on the dashed line 125).

Therefore, if the center of the inner section is regarded as 0, 0 thenthe following constraint is applied:Menu Item X ²+Menu Item Y ²=(Radius of inner section)²where Menu Item X=x co-ordinate of menu item icon, andMenu Item Y=y co-ordinate of menu item icon.

Alternatively, if we have some arbitrary center position (other than0,0) then:(Menu Item X−Inner Section Centre X)²+(Menu Item Y−Inner Section CentreY)²=(Radius of inner section)²where Inner Section Centre X=x co-ordinate for the centre of the innersection, andInner Section Centre Y=y co-ordinate for the centre of the innersection.

In order to calculate the icon position, the menu item icon positioningmodule uses the inner section module to apply the following rules:

-   -   1. The sum of the forces must be a local minimum. For example,        using the four ingredients as above ([distance from A to Menu        Item Center*Cost A]+[distance from B to Menu Item Center*Cost        B]+[distance from C to Menu Item Center*Cost C]+[distance from D        to Menu Item Center*Cost D]=local minimum), or, in a general        sense: sum of all (distances to menu item icons*BPD of menu        item)/sum of all BPDs=local minimum and    -   2. (Menu Item X−Inner Section Centre X)²+(Menu Item Y−Inner        Section Centre Y)²=(Radius of Inner Section)²

Alternatively, a solution may be found by stepping around the outercircumference of the inner section to find a local minimum.

Referring to FIG. 3, a third mode, the “Ingredient Breakdown Mode” isdescribed. This mode helps the user review the ingredient cost per menu,and how this relates to the menu items.

To access this mode, the user can either click (select) the ingredientitem 301 in the component group table 317 (the top right menu 112 inFIG. 2A, or as shown in FIG. 4B) or click (select) the ingredientelement 111 (component icon) in the central visualization; i.e. theradial bar projecting outwards on the periphery of the central section.

When the selection detection module has detected that one of theingredient items 301 in the table 112 or component icons 111 has beenselected, one or more of the following actions are performed in thegraphical representation.

-   -   The total cost 304 for the selected ingredient for the menu is        retrieved by the data retrieval module and displayed by the        component icon module. That is, the system displays the total        cost (or other selected BPD) for the selected ingredient for the        menu that is selected from the menu item table 307 (the left        upper menu) from the drop down list 305.    -   The highlight module highlights the menu item icons 309        associated with the menu items that use the selected ingredient.    -   The absolute cost 311 (or other selected BPD) of the selected        ingredient for each highlighted menu item is retrieved by the        data retrieval module and displayed by the menu knit module. For        example $20 is indicated for menu item 13 and $50 is indicated        for menu item 17.

In addition, the menu items in the menu selected from the drop down list305 that include the selected ingredient are highlighted by thehighlight module by applying a highlight icon 313 to the menu itemtable.

Also, the ingredient selected is highlighted by the highlight module byapplying a highlight icon 315 to the ingredient list 317.

FIG. 4A shows a more detailed view of the menu item list 106.

FIG. 4B shows a more detailed view of the ingredient list 112.

FIG. 4C shows a more detailed view of a menu item details box 130 wheredetails of the selected or relevant ingredients and quantities may beretrieved and displayed. Further information associated with theselected elements, for example in the form of nutritional information,may also be displayed here.

FIG. 4D shows a more detailed view of the legend box 131.

FIG. 5 shows a close up view of the component icons (radial bars) 111that represent each of the ingredients and sum of the selected BPDassociated with the component selected (cost) for the menu in question.Also shown are the interconnecting lines 127 that connect between thecomponent indicator icons 129 (ingredient dot) and menu item icons 203.

FIG. 6 shows a close up view of a menu item icon 601 along with a BPDvalue ($12) 603 associated with the selected BPD.

FIG. 7 shows graphical indication of how; the diameter for radius) 701of the menu item icons 703 can vary depending on the value of theselected BPD. That is, the menu item icon representing the BPD value $12has a smaller diameter than the menu item icon that represents the BPDvalue $15.

FIG. 8 shows a close up view of the concentric circles 801 (117, 119,121, 123) that are used to indicate the value of each of the ingredientsfor the menu selected.

FIG. 9 shows a close up view of the representative value scale 901 (113)in text form for each ingredient.

FIG. 10 shows a graphical indication of how the inner sectioncircumference (maximum radius bar) 125 may be adjusted depending on thesize of the largest and outermost menu item circle.

Further Embodiments

It will be understood that the embodiments of the present inventiondescribed herein are by way of example only, and that various changesand modifications may be made without departing from the scope ofinvention.

It will be understood that the method steps described above may beimplemented using any suitable tool. For example, the method may beimplemented using software code developed to perform the describedmethods. Alternatively, the method may be implemented using a programmedchip set arranged to perform the method steps. For example, the chip setmay form part of a printing device specifically arranged to carry outthe method of producing the herein visualizations. The chip set may be ahardwired chip set, programmable chip set, or software controlled chipset. Further, a hard wired or programmable computer system may be usedto carry out the method steps. The computer system may be a computersystem designed specifically for implementing this invention, or it maybe general purpose computer system that is specifically adapted, by wayof software programming or chip set adaptation to perform the hereindescribed methodology.

It will be understood that in certain embodiments the system mayrepresent negative values in order to fully visualize the dataconcerned. These negative values may be shown as black (transparent)icons on a grey (mid tone) background, or could be represented as adifferent shape, for example. Also negative values could be representedaround the outer circle by a positive negative bar graph.

Referring to FIG. 12, an alternative embodiment is described. In thisembodiment, the data visualized is market basket data for a casinoenvironment. The same principles of visualizing component data asdescribed above also apply to this embodiment.

According to this embodiment, the above described system is installed aspart of a gaming environment as shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 14 shows an example of how the herein described system may beincorporated within a gaming environment. The gaming environmentconsists of a number of gaming machines 1401 and electronic tables 1403(among other electronic gaming devices) that are adapted to communicateelectronically with other systems using any suitable protocols, such asdata packet protocols.

The gaming environment further includes a number of electronic cashierdevices 1405 and ATMs 1407 which are in communication via a Wide AreaNetwork 1409 with one or more financial databases 1411.

Data from the gaming machines 1401 and electronic tables 1403 aretransferred to a reward program database 1413 and customer database1415. It will be understood that these two, databases may be combinedinto a single database.

Data from the cashier devices are also transferred to the reward programdatabase 1413 and customer database 1415. The databases 1413 and 1415are in communication with a central hotel management system 1417 thatoversees the operation of the gaming environment, including theactivities of customers in other areas of a casino, such as shops,hotels, spas etc.

The system 1419 described herein is in communication with the rewardprogram database 1413, customer database 1415 and central hotelmanagement system 1417 so the system can retrieve all necessary dataabout the activities within the gaming environment. The variousembodiments as described herein are employed by the system 1419 toprovide an output 1421.

Baskets of data for a particular time period are retrieved from thedescribed gaming system. The baskets of data are selected by the user inthe basket menu 1206 from a drop down menu 1209. For example, the datamay relate to a period of one month, such as July 2008.

Each basket of data is measured data retrieved from a gaming environmentas described above. For example, the data may be associated withcustomers that have stayed or visited the gaming environment. The datamay be collected by one or more suitable systems, such as systems thattrack customers through the use of banking cards, reward schemes, audioand visual detection systems, loyalty schemes, etc.

A list of BPDs is displayed and is selectable in the same manner asdescribed in the above embodiments. In the same manner, components inthe form of hotel items, as opposed to ingredients in FIG. 2B, aregraphically visualized, and the selected BPD for the market basket isgraphically indicated for each of the hotel items.

Also, referring to FIG. 13, the hotel item detail may be visualized inthe same manner as that described in relation to, and as shown in, FIG.3 for the above embodiment.

In a further embodiment, the data being visualized may be financialinformation associated with a business environment, for example. Thefinancial information may be broken down into a number of differentcomponents and cross referenced with various different BPDs. Forexample, in a business environment, the costs, revenue or profitassociated with a particular product or service can be listed anddisplayed as circles in the central visualization area. The variouscomponents that make up the production of the product or provision ofthe service can also be visualized in the same manner as the ingredientsfor menu items, or hotel items for a market basket. For example, thecomponents may consist of raw materials, tax costs, utility costs,personnel costs, building costs, transport costs etc, where these areplaced around the edge of the central visualization area. The selectedBPD may then be represented for a selected product/service for aselected component, in the same manner as described above. Also, arelevant product/service may be indicated or represented for a selectedcomponent, in the same manner as described above.

According to a further embodiment, the arrangement of the grouped items(for example the menu item circles) in the central section, or thepositioning of the components around the periphery, may be replaced by agraphical representation of the relationship between each of the menuitems (or other relevant data type) and the components (e.g.ingredients) by utilizing the principles of a self organizing map. Thatis a self organizing map may be used to minimize the statisticaldistance (or maximize correlation) between each of the elements.

In yet a further embodiment, the data visualized may be retrieved from amanufacturing environment. In this, example component data isautomatically retrieved from a bill of materials for a particularproduct, where that product is made from a number of differentcomponents. Data associated with the components and products may beretrieved from a data store and visualized according to the methodsherein described. For example, the mean time between failure (MTBF)values of a number of components may be measured and placed into anumber of categories according to how likely/quickly the component isgoing to fail. The components may also be categorized in other ways,such as according to the cost of the component, availability of thecomponent, complexity of the component, etc. A number of products(rather than menus) may be listed in the item table for selection by auser. A number of BPDs associated with the products and components mayalso be retrieved, such as the cost, time to build, complexity, source,MTBF etc. In this way the same advantages as provided in otherembodiments is also provided here in a manufacturing environment. Forexample, an engineer is able to easily visualize how individualcomponents interact for various BPDs within a single product, and toeasily visualize which component categories have the most effect (interms of a selected BPD) on a product.

Therefore, the data visualization techniques described herein transformthe raw data received into different visual arrangements to enablefurther or hidden information within the raw data to be visuallyrepresented in a manner that conveys the information to a user in anefficient manner.

Further, it will be understood that the visual representations producedby the herein described system are specifically adapted to enable thevisual representation of complex data in order to convey usefulinformation while minimizing the use of production printing materials orlimiting the space in which the information may be conveyed. That is, byenabling the herein described system to produce a visual representationthat has one or more characteristics as described to summarize a complexproblem or complex data, a number of technical advantages areimmediately provided. For example, the characteristics of the visualrepresentation may include the limitation of the size of the visualrepresentation, the use of a minimum amount of ink, or the creation ofthe representation using a minimal or bounded area space or minimumamount of time. These characteristics then may solve one or moreproblems such as the excessive consumption of consumable items byreducing the required consumption of consumables such as paper and inkresources, as well as reducing the energy required to produce theprintouts of the visual representations or the displaying of theinformation on a display module due to the ability to provide therequired information in a visual space of a smaller size.

What we claim is:
 1. In a data visualization computing system implemented on an electronic computing device having a display, a method of creating a graphical representation of a plurality of components that are grouped in a plurality of component groups, wherein the component groups are formed based on two or more different group types, and values of one or more selectable metrics are associated with the components, the method including the steps of: detecting a selection of the one or more metrics, wherein the one or more metrics are selected by using user interface controls; retrieving metric values for the selected metric associated with components belonging to component groups of a first group type; determining the relative proportion of the retrieved metric values across components that are members of a second type component group; graphically representing the first type component group using one or more first icons that are graphically represented based on the retrieved metric values; positioning each of the first icons within a section of the graphical representation based on the determined relative proportion; graphically representing one or more second icons associated with each component of components belonging to the component groups of the first group type, and graphically representing a link between the second icons and the first icons; graphically representing the components of the second type component groups around a periphery of the section of the graphical representation by graphically displaying one or more third icons, wherein the third icons are graphically represented based on the retrieved metric values and wherein the third icons are graphically represented based on a total value of the retrieved metric values associated with the component; determining at least one grouping of two or more components of the second type component group; graphically representing each grouping of second type component group using a fourth icon for each grouping, and determining the order in which each fourth icon is positioned around a periphery of the section of the graphical representation based on a heuristic algorithm; and displaying the graphical representation on the display, by: rendering a rendered output including the graphical representation showing relationships between the plurality of components that are grouped in the plurality of component groups; and providing the rendered output to the display device and generating the graphical representation on the display device to allow a user to visualize the data.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first icons form at least a portion of a heatmap or a self organizing map.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the section of the graphical representation is formed as one of a geometric shape, organic shape, and dodecagon spiral.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the positions of the first icons are automatically limited for representation within a user adjustable area of the graphical representation.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieved metric values determine at least one of the shape, shading, color, size or height, of the first icons.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first icons are at least one of a bar, text, number, letter, character, line, geometric shape, organic shape, image or object.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second icons are arranged around the edge of the section of the graphical representation.
 8. The method of claim 1, further including the step of determining the order in which each third icon representing a component is positioned around the periphery based on a heuristic algorithm.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the total value of the retrieved metric values determines at least one of the shape, shading, color, height, or size of the third icon.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the third icons are at least one of a bar, text, number, letter, character, line, geometric shape, organic shape, image or object.
 11. The method of claim 1 further including the step of graphically representing a normalized scale for the components of the second type component groups around the periphery, wherein the normalized scale is represented by a series of concentric lines and the lines have a line to space ratio based on a normalization value being represented.
 12. The method of claim 1 further including the step of: graphically representing further icons associated with further types of component groupings.
 13. The method of claim 1 further including the step of detecting a selection of at least one of the component group types, and subsequently graphically highlighting one or more icons associated with the selected component group type based on the detected selection.
 14. The method of claim 1, further including the step of graphically indicating, based on a detected selection of one or more icons in the graphical representation, cross references between component groups and retrieved metric values for the component groups and components.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the relative proportion includes determining a weighted distance calculation based on the values of the selected metric for members of the second type component group.
 16. A data visualization system for creating a graphical representation of a plurality of components that are grouped in a plurality of component groups, wherein the component groups are formed based on two or more different group types, and values of one or more selectable metrics are associated with the components, the system including: a processor; a memory device; a display device; a selection detection module executable by the processor arranged to detect a selection of the one or more metrics, wherein the one or more metrics are selected by using user interface controls; a data retrieval module executable by the processor arranged to retrieve metric values for the selected metric associated with components belonging to component groups of a first group type for the selected metric associated with components belonging to component groups of a first group type stored on the memory device from a data storage module in communication with the data visualization system; and a placement module executable by the processor arranged to determine the relative proportion of the retrieved metric values across components that are members of a second type component group; and further arranged to instruct an icon module executable by the processor to graphically represent in the graphical representation on the display device the first type component group using one or more first icons that are graphically represented based on the retrieved metric values, and the placement module positions each of the first icons within a section of the graphical representation based on the determined relative proportion; wherein the icon module executable by the processor is further arranged to: graphically represent one or more second icons associated with each component of components belonging to the component groups of the first group type, and graphically representing a link between the second icons and the first icons; graphically represent the components of the second type component groups around a periphery of the section of the graphical representation by graphically displaying one or more third icons, wherein the third icons are graphically represented based on the retrieved metric values and wherein the third icons are graphically represented based on a total value of the retrieved metric values associated with the component; determining at least one grouping of two or more components of the second type component group; and graphically represent each grouping of second type component group using a fourth icon, for each grouping and determining the order in which each fourth icon is positioned around a periphery of the section of the graphical representation based on a heuristic algorithm, wherein the icon module executable by the processor to graphically represent the graphical representation on the display device, is further arranged to: render a rendered output including the graphical representation showing relationships between the plurality of components that are grouped in the plurality of component groups; and provide the rendered output to the display device and generate the graphical representation on the display device to allow a user to visualize the data.
 17. The data visualization system of claim 16, wherein the retrieved metric values determine at least one of the shape, shading, color, size or height, of the first icons.
 18. The data visualization system of claim 16, wherein the second icons are arranged around the edge of the section of the graphical representation.
 19. The data visualization system of claim 16, wherein the icon module executable by the processor is further arranged to graphically represent a normalized scale for the components of the second type component groups around the periphery, and wherein the normalized scale is represented by a series of concentric lines and the lines have a line to space ratio based on a normalization value being represented.
 20. The data visualization system of claim 16, wherein the third icons are a bar. 